Of Libidos and Poolhouses
by Myriddin
Summary: AU Jori, background Reck. Sometimes all you need to get rid of a vice is the right motivation. ONESHOT.


**Of Libidos and Poolhouses  
**By Myriddin

_AU Jori, background Reck. Sometimes all you need to get rid of a vice is the right motivation. _

**I dedicate this to the fact that I've tried quitting smoking four times in five years, but I've never found the right kind of motivation until recently. I'm currently two months nicotine-free and going, so please review to help me trudge on!**

"Vega! Hurry up and take your break already! You've got work to do!"

Tori scowled in the direction of the resounding voice, just barely resisting the uncharacteristic urge to give her slavedriver manager the finger. Instead, she grumbled under her breath, purposely letting the heavy backdoor to the restaurant close with a defined bang that echoed as she stepped into the alleyway.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, she leaned against the brick wall, letting her head fall back against the rough surface as she produced a crumpled pack of cigarettes from her pocket. It was a habit she hated having, developed from living in the same house as Trina, and one that continued as she worked minimum wage while trying to make it in Hollywood.

She drew one out and placed it between her lips as she rummaged through her pockets for a light. She sighed as her search proved to be fruitless, mumbling under her breath until suddenly she found her vision full of the translucent red of a cheap Zippo lighter, attached to a slender hand whose artful fingers expertly produced a flame.

Speechless, Tori mutely lowered her head to accept the light, only daring to raise her gaze after a thin stream of smoke was produced, finding herself staring into the most breathtaking pair of eyes she had ever seen.

/Ready…aim…fire…I'm sunk/

Said eyes were a beautiful, soulful blue, the kind that could make one weak in the knees as cliché as it sounded, radiating an intensity that was literally breathtaking. Said eyes belonged to the most gorgeous face she had ever seen, beautiful in classic sort of way, bearing a smirk on full, sensual lips and a teasing light in those blue eyes.

/Just imagine if all that intensity was directed toward something else…like something involving one naked her, one naked you, and a bed/

Unfortunately for all of us, there are the metaphorical inner demons and angels that exist in every individual, often referred to as the yin and yang, or the super-ego and the id. And the darker side of each spectrum is the one who lives on impulse, the feral and primitive part of each of us. In Tori's case, much to her misery, her inner devil just happened to be a horny little bugger.

She swallowed hard and she licked dry lips, taking an impulsive drag of the cigarette. Perhaps it was just her imagination running away with her, but she could have sworn those amazing eyes followed every movement of lips and tongue, and darkening with, heaven help her, something akin to interest.

"Thanks," Tori murmured, shocked she could even manage to audibly articulate a single word.

"No problem." The mystery woman mimicked her, leaning back against the wall as she lazily puffed at the half-finished cigarette in her own hand. Tori watched her out of the corner of her eye, taking in the sight of dark clothes that clung tight enough to accent the very generous definitions of her body, the solid black only broken by the apron slung loosely from slender hips.

/Hear the heavens' ring, guaranteed to come, a walking 'wet' dream/

She winced at the sudden perverted trail of her thoughts and she forced himself to focus on the stranger's face, where she saw, much to her embarrassment, a trace of amusement. She cleared her throat, looking away awkwardly. "So…you work here?"

"Yeah. Kitchen. You?"

"Waitress."

"You new? I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah, just started."

Blue Eyes chuckled, a rich, low sound of mirth Tori found herself falling instantly in love with. "I heard Johnson giving you a hard time in there. I can promise you all the managers aren't that bad. The owner's planning to fire his ass soon anyway."

Tori grinned. "Good riddance. The owner, that's Robert Shapiro, right?"

"Sort of. Shapiro's the proprietor, and joint owner. He's got a partner who does the behind the scenes stuff. Not so much a day-to-day guy."

Tori nodded, suddenly recalling the day she had met Mr. Shapiro, or Robbie as he insisted she call him, the day he had interviewed her, remembering the glasses, dark curls and the slightly awkward but friendly demeanor. She hadn't seen him since, having only been at the restaurant for a couple days, and the only boss she had worked under had been Stan Johnson.

Blue Eyes took a long, final drag of her cigarette, tossing it to the ground and stamping it out with the toe of her boot, much to Tori's disappointment, quickly dispersed when Blue Eyes lingered, looking up at her wryly. "You know, my wife's always telling to quit this stuff. Maybe it's time I listened."

This time, there was nothing Tori could do to quell the sharp stab of disappointment that welled up inside.

She was not sure how much of that disappointment showed in her face, for the other woman lingered still, seemingly searching her expression for something. She must have found what she was looking for, for her gaze found Tori's, blue eyes dancing with mischief and lips showing the slightest hint of a smile. Tori found herself utterly confused.

"Just kidding," Blue Eyes told her airily, "Actually it's a friend of mine that's always saying that, but he's such a mother hen, it's become a joke among us that he's like a nagging wife."

"And you know," she continued, and Tori felt herself relax and tense all at the same time, "I heard somewhere that kissing a smoker's like kissing an ashtray, so just imagine what two smokers would be like."

She pulled something from her pocket, tossing it to Tori, still flashing that teasing smirk. "Give me a ring if you change your mind about those cancer sticks."

With a final wink, the mystery woman with the teasing smile and pretty blue eyes disappeared back into the kitchen. Tori's jaw unhinged, and she looked numbly down into the item in her palm. The woman's lighter, wrapped inside a napkin covered in curvaceous, feminine script…a name and a phone number.

Jade…the name slipped off her tongue like honey, sweet and sultry as the woman himself. Grinning to herself, she pocketed the napkin and tossed the lighter into the nearby dumpster. Maybe she did have motivation to quit.

A couple of weeks passed, and much to Tori's dismay, she found that the fates seemed to be against her, for she never worked the same shift as Jade. She did, however, get the satisfaction of seeing the asshole Johnson very publicly fired after pushing one too many buttons. Not to mention that she had the pleasure of getting to know her new boss(es), who was generous employers and great men to boot.

It was about four days into her employ that she met that other side of the restaurant's ownership, Beck Oliver. It was just before an expected dinner rush, and the small bistro was relatively quiet, the pace slower than they had seen all day. She had been sitting at the front counter helping Jack, a waiter, roll silverware as Robbie and one of the managers sat at a nearby table, murmuring to themselves over a pile of paperwork.

Everyone absorbed in their work, it was no wonder that the welcoming jangle to the front door turned a few heads, even more so when the disruption to the quiet atmosphere came in the form of tall man who was the epitome of cool, smooth and handsome. The man marched up to the table, plopped himself down in a chair and in an impressive move, easily pulled a stunned Robbie over onto his lap. Beck then smothered Robbie's startled yelp with his lips, kissing him deeply and thoroughly. Robbie only hesitated for a moment before responding with equal eagerness, leaving Tori slack-jawed nearby.

It turned out the two were partners not just in business but elsewhere as well, old friends whose relationship had turned romantic after high school. This she all learned while talking with the couple over the next few days, the enthusiastic public greeting explained as Beck had been away for nearly four months shooting a movie.

And so went her first encounter with Beck Oliver, amiable and charming in a way that instantly drew Tori in as if they had been friends their entire lives. It still rang as a surprise, however, when the man extended an unexpected invitation.

"Are you serious?" she questioned him as the two of them sat together at the counter, Beck waiting for Robbie to finish up in the office, Tori taking a break from a trying afternoon of nonstop tables.

Beck shrugged and smiled at her, absently toying with an empty straw wrapper left over from the drink brought to him. "Sure, why not? I'd love you to come out. It'd be nice to have new company."

Tori eyed her uncertainly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I don't know. I can only imagine the kind of place you live at. I don't know if I'd fit in too well."

The actor sighed, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's not that bad. My place is perfectly modest."

Robbie walked up behind them, and he snorted at his boyfriend's words. "Only you would refer to a ten-room house and a three-acre property as 'modest'."

Beck rolled his eyes, leaning back against the counter. "That's beyond the point. Come on, Tori. It's the middle of summer…I'm offering you an full-size pool and free drinks. What's not to like?"

Still feeling uncertain, Tori distractedly traced a finger around the rim of her water glass. "But you've been complaining for days that you never have enough time with Robbie. Wouldn't I just be in the way?"

"Nah. Another friend of ours is coming up for the afternoon, so you don't have to worry about being any kind of third-wheel. So?"

Tori sighed, giving in. "Alright, alright. I'll be there. Noon okay?"

"Noon's perfect."

"Great." The Latina glanced at her watch, wincing as she realized the time. "Crap. I'm late. I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Thanks for the invite."

Beck did all he could to stifle his smile as he watched Tori hurriedly gather her things and rush out, but a devilish smirk broke out on his face, as well as a conniving glint in his eyes that had Robbie looking at him suspiciously.

"You're up to something. Playing matchmaker?"

Beck grinned as he pulled Robbie closer to him. "How could I not?"

The next day was a bright and sunny, but unbearably hot Saturday. Tori managed with an impressive willpower to drag herself out of bed and her air-conditioned apartment to make her way to the address Beck had given her the previous evening, soon finding herself being shown by her grinning Canadian friend, who quickly disappeared afterward, to an outdoor pool area nearly the size of a city block. Okay, that was an exaggeration on her part, but her mind was allowed distractions as her eyes befell the pool's sole occupant.

/Holy…whatever it is that's answering my prayers…Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, God Almighty, whoever, I forever worship whoever is responsible for such eye-candy/

Jade swam with a strong, self-possessed confidence and grace she seemed to exude in everything she did, powerful strokes leading her to the stepladder closer to Tori's view, and she felt a familiar tug in her lower belly as she watched Jade emerge from the water.

/Imagine the things you could do to that…/

Jade spotted her a moment later, a dripping, sleek figure of pure beauty that smiled and waved her over while she bent to retrieve a towel, giving Tori a perfect view of her breasts, looking ready to tumble out of her skimpy bikini top.

/Whoo!/

Tori approached her with weak, rubbery legs, managing a light smile as Jade straightened and faced her, supposedly oblivious to Tori's near-drooling over her. "You're early. Beck said you weren't coming by until later."

"Oh, that. Ah, it was too hot to wait much longer. I didn't think they would mind."

Jade shrugged as she toweled off. "Nope. Beck will probably be ecstatic."

"Yeah. So…you know them?"

"Hmm-mm." Jade glanced at her thoughtfully. "We went to high school together. They didn't mention it?"

Tori shook her head, "Nope. Just said there'd be another person here, a friend of theirs. Beck didn't mention who." She shrugged. "Maybe they didn't realize we were acquainted."

"Hmm…maybe, maybe not." For a moment, Jade looked contemplative, her brow furrowing with a thoughtful expression. Tori thought it was extremely hot.

/ …a bathtub…Jacuzzi…handcuffs…/

Feeling her face warm and a certain dampness growing down below, Tori felt extremely discomforted. "What's wrong?" she asked, fighting her best to stay attention to the conversation.

"Hmm, nothing. I just get a strange feeling, knowing Beck. But that doesn't matter. Maybe we should do this properly." Jade held out her hand. "Jade West."

Tori shook her hand. "Tori Vega."

Jade gave another one of those smirks. "I know." Before Tori could question her on the vagueness of her statement, Jade switched the topic. "You bring your swim gear?"

"Yep," Tori said with a grin, holding up her bag, "Right here."

Jade nodded and started away, beckoning Tori to follow. "Good. There's a room in the poolhouse where you can change. The water feels wonderful in this heat."

/Bondage…Crisco…whipped cream…chocolate sauce…/

They entered the small building a few moments later, and as her nostrils filled with the scent of chlorine and dank musk, Tori heard the door being closed behind them. A moment later, she found himself being pinned against it.

Despite her first aggressive move, Jade hesitated. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, electric attraction flowing between them. Tori took the first initiative, leaning forward until her lips brushed against Jade's neck, licking away a drop of sweat beading down her throat. The taste of salt and woman against her tongue was intoxicating, though even more so was the throaty moan Jade gave in response.

The molten heat of minimal arousal exploded into flame as Jade leaned into her, biting at her neck. She moaned brokenly, her hands clutching at Jade's hair as she tried to make sense of the sudden assault, distracted with the haze of desire fogging her mind.

"Jade…"

Jade paused for a moment, taking in the Latina's glazed look and panting breath with a hint of self-satisfaction. She returned to her ministrations, drawing another whimper from Tori. "What about Beck and Robbie?" the Latina murmured absently, tilting her head back to give Jade better access.

"They always sleep in on the weekends. With all the time they spend at work, do you honestly expect they'll be coming down anytime soon?"

"Now that I think about it, it doesn't even matter," Tori moaned and Jade chuckled against her skin at hearing the arousal so prevalent in Tori's voice.

She teasingly scraped her teeth against Tori's collarbone as she trailed kisses up to the Latina's mouth. Their kiss was hot and wet and sweetly sultry, turning Tori's entire body into a heated inferno ready to melt for sheer sensuality at any moment.

Tori shivered as Jade moved her hands down, grazed her fingertips down Tori's sides, sliding them just beneath the hem of the tanktop to rest her palms against the swell of Tori's hips. Tori arched sharply into the hands touching her, shocked she was reacting so strongly to a mere sliding of skin against her own. Tori whimpered audibly, especially as Jade smoothed her fingers over the nicotine patch on the small of Tori's back. "Good girl," she mumbled as she caught Tori's earlobe between her teeth, "Smoke-free."

"Jade!"

Jade's breath was hot and panting against Tori's neck, but she stopped for a moment, looking up at the Latina with dilated eyes heated with lust. "We secure here, Vega?"

"Secure?" Tori smiled, "You think we're in for a wild ride?"

Jade grinned, leaning in to kiss her lightly, a contact that quickly escalated into an assault of teeth and tongue and tugging at whatever articles of clothing still stood in their way. "Trust me, Vega," Jade growled as they fell together against a nearest semi-soft surface they could find, an inflatable mattress. "This'll be one ride you don't forget."

And amazingly, inner Tori was silent.


End file.
